Description
A festive and visually stunning Thanksgiving appetizer platter featuring a creative turkey design made from fresh pears, an assortment of cheeses, crackers, salami, vegetables, and nuts. Perfect for holiday gatherings, this no-cook platter is easy to assemble and sure to impress your guests with both flavor and presentation.
Ingredients
Scale
Fruit and Vegetables
- 1 red pear
- 1-2 red bell peppers, sliced
- 1 English cucumber, sliced
Cheeses
- 12 oz. package (party tray) of sliced cheeses
Crackers
- 13 oz package club crackers or rectangular crackers of choice
- 8 oz package of Breton crackers or large round crackers
- 1 sleeve Ritz crackers or small round crackers
Meat
- 10 oz. package of salami (peppered recommended)
Nuts and Garnishes
- 1 cup almonds or desired nuts
- 2 candy eyeballs
Instructions
- Prepare the pear base: Slice the pear in half lengthwise and place one half cut side down at the bottom center of your serving platter to form the turkey’s body base.
- Arrange cheeses: Overlap and arrange the sliced cheeses around the perimeter of the serving platter, creating a colorful outer ring of dairy.
- Place rectangular crackers: Form a second row inside the cheese layer by layering the rectangular crackers evenly around the platter’s edge.
- Add large round crackers: Spread the Breton or other large round crackers in the next row inside the rectangular crackers to build depth.
- Fan the salami: Pinch one end of each salami slice and arrange them below the cracker rows tightly together, with pinched ends touching to resemble turkey feathers fanning out.
- Insert bell pepper strips: Tuck red bell pepper strips in and around the salami to complement the red colors of the ‘turkey feathers’ and add brightness.
- Add cucumber slices: Create several rows of cucumber slices above the salami to represent the turkey’s back feathers.
- Support the pear head: Lift the pear half and fan a circle of Ritz crackers underneath it on the platter to support the pear’s head shape.
- Reposition pear and fill gaps: Place the pear back in position and fill the empty space at the bottom of the tray with almonds for texture and visual balance.
- Create turkey’s face details: Cut a small triangle from an extra cheese slice and place it on the pear face as a beak. Use hummus, peanut butter, or butter to stick the two candy eyeballs above the beak on the pear half to complete the turkey’s face.
- Storage instructions: Keep the assembled platter refrigerated and covered with plastic wrap until ready to serve. Assemble close to serving time to maintain freshness and optimal presentation.
Notes
- This platter is best assembled as close to serving time as possible to keep crackers crisp.
- Use any combination of your favorite cheeses and crackers if substitutions are needed.
- For the eyes, candy eyeballs can be substituted with small olives or peppercorns stuck with cream cheese or hummus.
- Almonds can be swapped with other nuts or seeds as desired for texture and flavor.
- Great as a centerpiece before the main Thanksgiving meal or at holiday parties as a festive appetizer.
